Treatment apparatus and control method for treatment apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a treatment apparatus and a control method for the treatment apparatus, and provides a treatment apparatus and a control method for the treatment apparatus, the treatment apparatus comprising: a treatment unit for transferring therapeutic energy at a preset period to a treatment position; a temperature measurement unit for measuring a temperature of the treatment position at a period different from the period at which the therapeutic energy is transferred; and a control unit for controlling an operation of the treatment unit on the basis of a result of measurement by the temperature measurement unit. The present invention enables a user to control a treatment content while accurately understanding the temperature of the treatment position, and thus can improve a treatment effect while preventing thermal damage to tissue.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A treatment apparatus comprising:
 a treatment unit periodically transferring energy for treatment by irradiating a treatment light to a treatment location with a first period; 
 a temperature measurement unit, by receiving a radiation light radiated from the treatment location, periodically measuring the temperature of the treatment location with a second period different from the first period with which the energy for treatment is transferred; and 
 a control unit controlling the irradiation of the treatment light from the treatment unit on the basis of results measured by the temperature measurement unit, 
 wherein the first period is a time interval between two sequential irradiation events of the treatment light, the second period is a time interval between two sequential measurements of the temperature of the treatment location, the second period is shorter than the first period, the second period has a substantially constant value, and the second period is greater than 0 and less than ⅓ of the first period, and 
 wherein the temperature measurement unit periodically measures the temperature of the treatment location with the second period, regardless of a timing to irradiate the treatment light. 
 
     
     
       2. The treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the treatment light comprises a laser. 
     
     
       3. The treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the treatment light comprises a light having a wavelength corresponding to an infrared or near-infrared region. 
     
     
       4. The treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature measurement unit is disposed so as not to come into contact with the treatment location during treatment. 
     
     
       5. The treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a filter filtering an interruption caused by the treatment light irradiated from the treatment unit while the temperature of the treatment location is measured by the temperature measurement unit. 
     
     
       6. The treatment apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the filter excludes or corrects temperature data, which contain an error due to the interruption by the treatment light, in temperature data of the treatment location, which are periodically obtained by the temperature measurement unit, by removing the error. 
     
     
       7. The treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, in order to prevent damage of a surface tissue at the treatment location, the control unit stops an operation of the treatment unit or lowers an amount of energy of treatment transferred by the treatment unit if the temperature of the treatment location is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. 
     
     
       8. The treatment apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the control unit drives a cooling unit to cool the treatment location if the temperature of the treatment location is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature. 
     
     
       9. The treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls one or more of whether to irradiate the treatment light or not, an irradiation pattern of the treatment light, and output power intensity of the treatment light. 
     
     
       10. The treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first period and the second period are respectively predetermined. 
     
     
       11. The treatment apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first period is between a first time and a second time at which the energy for treatment is sequentially transferred by the treatment unit, and the second period is between a third time and a fourth time at which the temperature of the treatment location is sequentially measured by the temperature measurement unit. 
     
     
       12. A control method for a treatment apparatus, the method comprising:
 irradiating a treatment light to a treatment location periodically with a first period, by a treatment unit, to transfer energy for treatment to the treatment location; 
 measuring a temperature of the treatment location periodically with a second period different from the first period with which the treatment light is irradiated; and 
 controlling a treatment mode on the basis of the temperature of the treatment location, 
 wherein the first period is a time interval between two sequential irradiation events of the treatment light, the second period is a time interval between two sequential measurements of the temperature of the treatment location, the second period is shorter than the first period, the second period has a substantially constant value, and the second period is greater than 0 and less than ⅓ of the first period, and 
 wherein the temperature of the treatment location is measured periodically with the second period, regardless of a timing to irradiate the treatment light. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , further comprising determining data as having an error-containing value by comparing a value of the data with a reference value and filtering the determined data as having the error-containing value occurring due to an interruption by the treatment light during the measurement of the temperature,
 wherein in the step for measuring the temperature of the site of temperature, the temperature of the treatment location is measured by receiving a radiation light radiated from the treatment location. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the control unit restricts an operation of the treatment unit or drives a cooling unit to cool the treatment location if the temperature of the treatment location is determined to be equal to or higher than the predetermined value.